Refinement of HLA gene mapping with induced B-cell line mutants

The lymphoma cell line BJAB.B95.8.6 was gamma-irradiated to induce mutations of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) encoded genes. Cloned "wild-type" cells were phenotyped HLA-A1, A2, B13, B35, Bw4, Bw6, Cw4, DR5, DRw52, DQw1, DQw3, DPw2, DPw4, GLO1 1, PGM3 2-1, and ME1 0 and possessed two apparently normal chromosome 6s prior to mutagenesis. Loss mutants were selected 5 days after 3 Gy gamma-irradiation employing three complement-fixing monoclonal antibodies specific for HLA-A2 (TU101) and Bw4 (TU48, TU109). Fifteen independently arising mutants were isolated and cloned. Typing with monospecific alloantisera and cell-mediated lympholysis revealed the presence of HLA-A1, B35, Bw6, Cw4, DR5, DRw52, DQw3, and DPw4 specificities on all mutant clones. HLA-A2, B13, and Bw4 were absent. Mutants differed in their expression of class II antigens. One group retained DQw1 and DPw2, another was DQw1-, DPw2+, and a third was DQw1-, DPw2-. Karyotyping of the "wild-type" line and selected mutant clones showed that the loss of HLA specificities correlated with deletions which map the HLA-A and -B loci directly to the distal part of the 6p21.33 region and the class II genes to the region 6p21.33 (proximal) to 6p21.31 (distal) on the short arm of chromosome 6.